Overview
- The rollout, which began Tuesday, has completed training for police across Punjab and is being piloted in Lahore with docking stations being installed at local police stations.
- Officers from Punjab Police, the Highway Patrol, Dolphin Force and traffic wardens will wear devices that record audio, video and photos and offer facial recognition, automatic number-plate reading, push-to-talk and an SOS call function.
- Footage is designed to transfer automatically from each camera to secure servers and to be monitored live by district Safe City control rooms linked to the province’s 43‑city Smart/Safe City network.
- Editorials and experts warn of clear enforcement and technical risks, citing the ease of switching cameras off, possible battery or recording failures, disputed footage and the lack of published rules on who can access or retain the data.
- The programme aims to protect vulnerable people and curb police corruption but its success will depend on independent auditing, clear data-retention and access rules, mandatory use policies and penalties for non-compliance.